The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-10-12
LIFE IN A BoARDlNo-HoUsE.
Observations OF New Yorker, After
Yenrs OF Experience.

vations, writes George II. Walsh to
The Epoch, will readily convince one
that boarding-houses are rapidly
crowdng the family homes in New
York out of existence Tho direct
causes of this are various, and the re-
suits anything but commendatory. The
young married couple who are in
moderate circumstances find it impos-
sibIe to pay the exorbitant rents for Il
whole house in any respectable locality.
and so they are left to the choice of
renting floor or Hat or OF boarding.
A general prejudice exists in the minds
of our New Workers against flats, and
it is considered much more respectable
to live at some fashionable boarding
house than to take up life on second
floor, within the hearing of the noise
of your neighbors. Still, it may be
said that flats and apartment houses
have done more toward correcting the
evil of starting married life in a board
ing-house than anything else.
A typical boarding house is the cen
ter of light gossip, and all family pfiv-
acy is DESTROYED. While there are
many classes OF people who are com
PEELED to live ut boarding houses, such
us struggling students, professional
men, and single clerks, there is no
need whatever for a family to do this
The family should be cnscOnced in II
tNhA IN | lA
ances and private matters will not be-
come food for goss pers. Other people
will necessarily become acquainted
with more of your personal
affairs than is agreeable if you stay
long in one boarding place, and usually
the lady who keeps the house leads the
guests in this inquisitorial search. The
story OF the woman who always open
ed the letters of her lady
boarders and read them before
they reached the proper parties has
become a stock joke against the keep
crs of these houses, but, when we con
slider that every package received into
the house is taken to the mistress before
it reaches the party to whom it is di-
rected, there is little doubt that this
practice is occasionally kept up even
now in certain places. By the use of a
little steam and mucilage the letters
could very easily be opened and closed
again without exciting suspicion. The
typical boarder, however, who spends
q year in this clearinghouse and a
year in that one, becomes acquainted
with many eccentric characters, and
in the end he is as good n student OF
human nature as one could wish to be.
The desire to know what our neigh
bors are doing is usually stronger
among women than among men. The
latter have their business to occupy their
minds during the day, but in a board.
ing-house there are few domestic duties
to perform. and the women have much
time to themselves which must be pass
ed away somehow. They naturally
turn to gossiping, and to attain any de-
gree of proficiency in this line they
have to know everything about their
fellow boarders. Curiosity in time be-
comes passion with them, and they
care more about knowing the last piece
of news regarding one of the inhabit.
ants of the house than anything else.
There is in almost every boarding
house one or more spinsters, who
seemingly has no object in life other
than to know what is going on around
and to eat. She cultivates the acqaint-
ance and confidence of every new.
conner simply to draw all points of in
terest concerning her life. In short
time she can tell accurately all about
her personal matters, what salary her
husband receives, where they lived last,
whom she visits, what she pays for her
dresses, and all the other small things
that 20 to fill the mind Of the gossip.
The domestic joys and happiness of
u home must DE compensated ior Ia
some way 1t is this want of good
homes that is sending thousands OF
young men to groggeries every night.
II may be that circumstances have COM
PEELED them to leave a pleasant home
in the country to seek their fortune on
to complete their studies in the cities;
or il may be that their parents are
members of fashionable boarding
house where no amusements or attrac-
tions can be found that would be likely
to interest them. Whichever it is,
they have an intense longing for some
thing. they become restless, and seek
outside pleasure for relief.
A bohemian journalist once said to
me: 81 left a pleasant home when !
was 10. aud came to the city to connect
myself with paper. | enjoyed the
work for the first few weeks, and then
things became monotonous and un.
pleasant. After finishing my days
work would go home to my board
house, where | would meet with
no one that could trust or care
for. OF an evening | either had to SHIT